How to Format a USB Drive for Use with Both PCs and Macs

Updated by

Tracy King 

Written by

Linda 

Last updated on April 19, 2024

Both operating systems rely on files and folders, so it's important to know how to work with the file system on both types of devices, especially since Windows and Mac are such widely used operating systems. Unfortunately, Windows and Mac use different file systems, which can make it difficult to swap a flash drive or USB between Mac and Windows computers after formatting it.

Ideally, you would need to format the USB flash drive for Mac and PC compatibility. It's a daunting task, but not impossible!

What format of flash drive is compatible with both Mac and PC?

Before we delve into learning how to format a USB drive for both PC and Mac, we need to understand which file systems work on both major operating systems. Once we have a full grasp of the file formats supported by each OS, we can easily find a compatible file system for both platforms.

How to Format a USB Flash Drive for Mac and PC on Windows 11/10

If you're looking at options for formatting a USB drive on your PC or Mac, Windows actually gives you a few choices. You can pick from built-in options or use third-party tools, depending on your preference.

Use a partition management tool – such as Partition Master – to do this.

Tool Partition Master is a unique and excellent option for achieving high compatibility with how to format a USB drive for use on both PC and Mac. It supports various file systems that you can utilize.

You can format your USB to file systems like NTFS, exFAT, EXT3, EXT2, FAT32, FAT16, FAT12, and ReFS.

Here's how to format a USB drive using the Partition Master tool.

Step 1: Select the USB drive to format.

Connect your USB drive or flash drive to your computer. Download and launch a partitioning tool. Right-click the USB drive you want to format, then select “Format.”

Step 2. Assign the USB drive letter and file system.

Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT) and cluster size to the selected partition, and click “OK”.

Step 3: Check the box next to “Yes” to confirm that you want to format the USB drive.

If a warning window appears, click Yes. Back up your data in advance if it contains important information.

Step 4: Apply the changes.

Click “Execute 1 Task(s)” first, then click “Apply” to format the USB drive.

Windows 10 Disk Management indeed provides you with free and professional features. It offers you complete partition management tools without any data loss. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, the partition management tool is your best choice.

Use the File Explorer options

1. Open File Explorer. You'll find this app in the Start menu. If your USB drive isn't inserted, plug it into your computer now.

Step 2: Right-click on the flash drive and select “Properties.”

Step 3: Click on the "Format" option.

Step 4: Under File system, select either exFAT or FAT32 from the drop-down menu.

Step 5: Click "Start" when you're done.

Wait for the USB drive to format. This may take a while, depending on the size of your flash drive.

Read more: Format a USB Drive that Does Not Show Up

Utilize disk management tools

Using the Disk Management utility to format a flash drive might be a more complicated option, but it will ensure that the drive is formatted.

Step 1: Open the Windows search and look for "Create and format hard disk partitions."

Step 2: Right-click the flash drive and select "Format."

Step 3: From the “File System” drop-down, select “FAT32” or “exFAT”. You can also provide a label for the drive.

Step 4. Click “OK,” and wait for the formatting to complete.

How to Format a USB Flash Drive for Mac and PC on a Mac

If you're using a Mac, you can use the built-in Disk Utility to format the USB flash drive on your Mac. The process involves:

Step 1. Insert the USB drive you want to format. Your Mac should detect the drive and display it on your desktop.

Step 2: Open Disk Utility. You can search for Disk Utility and open it.

Step 3: Select your drive from the list on the left.

Step 4. Click the “Erase” option from the top menu.

Step 5: Give the disk a name and choose the file system to use.

Step 6. Choose the “Erase” option, and your USB drive will be formatted.

[FAT32 vs ExFAT: What's the Difference Between the File Systems?](#4)

FAT32 is one of the oldest file systems used in the Windows ecosystem. It was introduced with Windows 95, replacing the older FAT16 system used in MS-DOS and Windows 3.x. FAT32 has, in fact, become a de facto standard for most computer systems. Nowadays, most flash drives come formatted with the FAT32 file system, which allows for high compatibility between Mac and Windows systems quite efficiently.

The main problem with the FAT32 file system is its size limitation of 4 GB. The file system cannot handle files larger than that. This makes it theoretically good for flash drives and USB drives, but absolutely not for internal drives.

exFAT, or the Extended File Allocation Table file system, was introduced in 2006 alongside Windows XP to overcome limitations of the FAT32 system. It is optimized for flash drives and is suitable for both internal hard disks and flash drives. The main differences between exFAT and FAT32 can be summarized as follows:

It's clear that exFAT has an advantage over FAT32 for all the reasons mentioned above.

Last Words

Fortunately, formatting the USB drive to be compatible with both Mac and Windows is straightforward, provided you know which file system to choose. While there are several ways to format a USB drive for use with both PCs and Macs, using third-party software – like Partition Master – is a good option.

The simple interface, ease of use, and powerful features give you total disk management capabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions About Formatting Flash Drives for Mac and PC

For more help formatting a USB flash drive for use with both Macs and PCs, look here.

How do I make my flash drive compatible with both Mac and PC?

To make your flash drive compatible with both Macs and PCs, you'll need to format the file system as FAT32 instead of NTFS or APFS. FAT32 formatting works with both Windows and Mac computers.

2. Is exFAT compatible with both Mac and Windows?

Yes, exFAT is compatible with both Mac and Windows computers. You can format your external hard drive with this file system to transfer data between Mac and Windows without encountering read/write issues.

3. Which is Better for Mac, FAT32 or exFAT?

On a Mac, the data transfer speeds for FAT32 and exFAT are almost identical. The only difference is the partition size limit with FAT32. If your device has 64 GB or more of storage, you can format it as exFAT only on a Windows computer.

Fortunately, Macs have no such limitation. So, on a Mac, you can use either the FAT32 or exFAT format.